Somewhere between work and home between, husband and daughter, between greyhound and rabbits, between chaos and order, between garden gloves and sewing machine, between food and sleep, there is this blog.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

The News.

This is me during today's non-stress test. They like to monitor the baby for 15-20 minutes prior to the ultrasound to see how things are going.

Sorry folks, I know you were getting the sawdust spread and the trailer painted up, but there will be no two-headed baby. Not this time, at least.

I was right about the tight little bubble-bum. There it was on the ultrasound in black and white, pressed firmly against my cervix. Sorry, baby. Right idea, wrong end!

The baby's body and head curve up my right flank and the arms and legs are on my left, where they have been firmly punching their way through my uterine walls for the last week. Unlike last time, the knees are a bit bent (more leverage that way). Since the baby's bum is "engaged" there was no way, yet again, to accurately determine the sex. So, I'm still saying it's probably a girl, but possibly a boy. Looks like the baby is about 7 pounds, 7 ounces at the moment, which means I'll have just under an 8-pounder by Friday!

All this boils down to one conclusion: it's going to be a c-section. The whole thing is exactly like a birthday party, all planned out. I should bake a cake and bring some balloons to make it more festive in the operating room. Maybe some party hats for the surgeon and anesthetist. Wheee! I will make up an invitation for Peter, since he's the only other one allowed to attend the actual birth (our families will be able to visit us in the Mom and Baby ward a bit later):

(Picture of brightly-coloured birthday cake with no candles)

You are invited to a very special 0th birthday!

When: Friday, August 31st at 7:50am

Where: Victoria General Hospital Labour and Delivery Operating Room

Why: 'Cause the baby is breech and needs to get out somehow.

Bring your scrubs, mask and foot-covers to be ready for all the fun!

RSVP to: Your wife and unborn child.

There. We're all ready to go and now I'm all excited. Not about all the poking and cutting and sutures, though.

I'm going to be a mommy on Friday, how cool is that?!

"The Machine" which shows baby's heart rate, movements and uterine pressure, as well as my blood pressure and some other statistics I don't understand. The button in the corner is the one I get to push when I feel the baby move. As you can see from the little black horizontal marks on the paper, the baby moves a lot!